1

NO. 67-425

DESIGN AND DEMONSTRATION OF A RADIOISOJET

by

R. VIVENTI, JR.
General Electric Company Cincinnati, Ohio and

W. C. ISLEY
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland

AlAA Paper NO. 67-425

AlAA 3rd Prouulsion Joint SDecialist Conference

WASHINGTON, D. C./JULY 17-21, 1967
v

Firrl publication riahlt rsservsd by American lnrlilule of Aoronavtici and A s l r ~ n o u l i ~ r 1290 , Avenue of lhe Americas, New York, N. Y. 10019 Abrlraclr may be published without mrmission if rredil i s given Io aiulhor and Io A t M . (Price-AIM Mmbor 7% Nonmember $ 1 3 1

4.18

DESIW AND DEMONSTRATION OF A RADIOISOJET

R. Viventi, Jr. General Electric Company Cincinnati, Ohio

w . c. Isley NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, Maryland

Abstract A joint NASA/AEC effort was undertaken to develop and evaluate the performance of a radioisotope heated thruster for possible spacecraft application. A Pm-147 Oxide capsule was used as the sour-ce of heat in a nominal 20 millipound ammonia thruster. The mechanical design of the thruster was based on that of the thermal storage resistance jet. Measurements were made of thrust, propellant mass flow, and temperature transients during a continuous two-week test program. Correlation with an electrically heated unit was excellent. The nomin a l 6 0 watt (thermal) source produced core temperatures in excess of 1650-F and resulted in measured values of specific impulse greater than 230 ~ e at c 2 2 millipounds thrust. ThrUsteP performance parameters were measured over the full range Of duty cycle and as a function of propellant flow rate. The result5 were found to Correlate with duty cycle. Application of the radioisojet to a number of missions has been considered. Long life, low thrust applications, for which the power penalty must be borne by the auxiliary propulsion system, are attractive in terms of weight, reliability, and cost, The Selection Of best design approach is closely tied to the particular mission requirement. For example, a device required for low thrust prime spacecraft propulsion is generally representative of long-term or essentially continuous thrust application over a short trajectory segment. For this condition, it can be demonstrated analytically that best performance i s achieved when the second (constant thrust) design approach is employed. For spacecraft orbit trim, station keeping, and attitude Control functions, the typical mission requirement is usually best Suited to a pulse mode type of thruster. The design approach is also quite dependent upon the type of radioisotope source to be employed. Sources Of low power density may not be capable of performing competitively in a Constant thrust mode because of heat shielding limitations and heat transfer problems. Radioisotope half life is also very important, a5 related to the mission requirement. A thruster required for 2 to 3 year station keeping operation may have to consider heat rejection at the beginning of the mission to maintain a more Constant power level due to half-life of the source. Principles of Operation The radioisojet is an advanced thruster design which utilizes the thermal energy generated during the radioactive decay of a radioisotope--in this case, promethium 147-40 heat a propellant to operating temperature. This concept is a logical extension of the existing resistance jet technology wherein the propellant is heated by the thermal energy generated in a resistance wire. As shown in the exploded view of Figure 1, the radioisojet conSiStS of three major subassemblies: the heat shielding package, the thruster body, and the radioisotope fueled heater. Comparable resistance jet components having similar functions are shorn in Figure 2. The assembly of the isotope-fueled heater into the thruster body provides a narrow flow annulus (0.020 in.) f o r the gaseous ammonia. This annulus permits metal-to-gas heat transfer to take place, raising the ammonia temperature sufficiently high to Cause decomposition into hydrogen and nitrogen. Decomposition is desirable because of the increase in specific impulse which Can be Obtained in comparison with molecular ammonia for a given temperature. Propellant flow Control is provided by a low power axial solenoid valve Supported from the thruster at the mounting flange. The time required for travel of the v a l v e poppet from fully closed to fully open is less than 100 milliseconds, thereby allowing the thruster to be operated in B small impulse bit mode a s well as in steady state.
1

.&
Introduction The "Radioisojet" Thruster concept inherently involves the characteristics Of a thermal storage device where heat is generated at a fixed rate by radioisotope decay within an internal capsule. Through efficient shielding, propellants Can be heated to temperatures sufficiently high to permit a factor of lrom 2 to 3 improvement in specific impulse over that Obtainable as a cold gas. Such a thruster can be designed from either Of two approaches. The first approach is to build a pulse mode type of thruster which utilizes energy stored during propellant off periods to raise the temperature Of the internal core to the highest possible point, whereupon propellant is pulsed through the unit for brief periods during operation. This avenue of design naturally places considerable importance on thruster duty cycle and pulse duration i n order to achieve highest possible specific impulse. As pulse duration increases, the average specific impulse obtainable decreases. Using this method, improvements in performance are possible only by increasing the thermal Storage capability. The Second design approach is to size the thermal source for a given thrust level and specific impulse under continuous flow. This avenue presents the design problem of thermal control (heat rejection) during the no-flow periods or a physical design which permits temperature cycling above the full-flow value.

The r a d i o i s o j e t t h r u s t e r i s d e s i g n e d f o r o p e r a t i o n i n a p u l s e d mode where maximum OOre t e m p e r a t u r e i s low enough t o e l i m i n a t e a r e q u i r e ment f o r c o o l i n g d u r i n g no-flow p e r i o d s . The r e q u i r e d i s o t o p i c power f o r a g i v e n t e m p e r a t u r e i s minimized t h r o u g h t h e u s e of a n i u l t i l a y e r h e a t s h i e l d i n g package c o n s i s t i n g of c o n c e n t r i c c y l i n d e r s o f t h i n Nichrome V f o i l s e p a r a t e d by a m i n i m u m number o f c o i l s of s m a l l d i a m e t e r Nichrome V w i r e . A l l r a d i a t i n g S u r f a c e s of t h e t h r u s t e r body e x c e p t for t h e e x h a u s t n o z z l e and t h e p r o p e l l a n t i n l e t t u b e are s u r r o u n d e d by 40 l a y e r s o f t h i s h e a t shielding.

e n c a p s u l a t i n g t h e c l a d source i n a H 8 5 t e l l o y X i n n e r body. The O u t e r s u r f a c e Of t h e H a s t e l l o y X h e a t e r s l u g p r o v i d e s an i n n e r a n n u l a r s u r f a c e of t h e p r o p e l l a n t flow p a t h . H a s t e l l o y X was chosen for t h e a n n u l a r S u r f a c e m a t e r i a l a s a r e s u l t of e a r l i e r e l e c t r i c a l l y h e a t e d t h r u s t e r t e s t s where i t was found t h a t w i t h t h i s m a t e r i a l i n c o n t a c t w i t h t h e ammonia, c a t a l y t i c d e c o m p o s i t i o n was promoted a t t e m p e r a t u r e s ai low as 1500F. An i m p o r t a n t d e s i g n f e a t u r e b u i l t i n t o t h e r a d i o i s o j e t t h r u s t e r is t h e a b i l i t y t o O b t a i n p e r formance d a t a w i t h an e l e c t r i c a l s i m u l a t o r mounted i n p l a c e o f t h e promethium 147 h e a t e r . The elect r i c a l l y h e a t e d i n n e r body, b u i l t a r o u n d a s i m p l e platinum-rhodium w i r e wound r e s i s t a n c e h e a t e r , i s i n s e r t e d i n t o t h e o u t e r body and h e a t s h i e l d i n g subassembly f o r t h e p r e l i m i n a r y t e s t s and t h e n removed and r e p l a c e d by t h e r a d i o i s o t o p e h e a t e r f o r f i n a l p e r f o r m a n c e tests. With t h e modular t h r e e u n i t a s s e m b l y a s shown i n F i g u r e 1, e i t h e r t h e b e a t er o r t h e h e a t e r / t h r u s t e r subassembly can b e removed w i t h o u t d i s t u r b i n g t h e h e a t s h i e l d i n g p a c k a g e . The S e l e c t e d n o m i n a l o p e r a t i n g t h r u s t l e v e l o f t h e r a d i o i s o j e t t h r u s t e r was 20 m i l l i p o u n d s a t a p r e s s u r e o f 1 . 5 a t m o s p h e r e s , u s i n g ammonia prop e l l a n t . The n o z z l e d i v e r g e n t s e c t i o n c o n t o u r i s based upon proven thermodynamic and f l u i d dynamic a n a l y s e s which have been c o m p u t e r i z e d t o p r o v i d e r a p i d s o l u t i o n s t o i t e r a t i v e p r o c e s s e s . Flow i s t r e a t e d by a h y p o t h e s i s w h e r e i n i t i s assumed t h a t thermodynamic e q u i l i b r i u m i s m a i n t a i n e d up t o t h e Mach 1 c o n d i t i o n and c o m p o s i t i o n i s f r o z e n t h e r e a f t e r . The f l u i d dynamic a n a l y s i s d e f i n e s optimum n o z z l e c o n t o u r w i t h i n t h e c o n f i n e s of a c c e p t a b l e l e n g t h and n o z z l e e x i t d i a m e t e r . Boundary l a y e r growth i n t h e d i v e r g e n t s e c t i o n of t h e n o z z l e and t h r u s t e f f i c i e n c y are a l s o d e f i n e d a s a f u n c t i o n of o p e r a t i n g tempePatureS and i n l e t p r e s s u r e s . A t u n g s t e n p r o b e h a s been u s e d i n some e a r l i e r t e s t s w i t h a n o z z l e o f comparable p e r f o r m a n c e t o v e r i f y t h e v e l o c i t y p r o f i l e a n a l y s i s which shows t h a t a p p r o x i m a t e l y 40% o f t h e e x i t d i a m e t e r i s t a k e n up by t h e boundary layer as p r e d i c t e d . T o t a l r a d i o i s o j e t system w e i g h t i s one impollt a n t c o n s i d e r a t i o n since i t forms a b a s i s foid i r e c t comparison t o a r e s i s t a n c e j e t o f s i m i l a r performance. With t h e e l e c t r i c a l h e a t e r i n p l a c e of t h e promethium-fueled c a p s u l e , t h e r a d i o i s o j e t was found t o weigh a l m o s t e x a c t l y '5 l b . With t h e i s o t o p e i n p l a c e , t h e weight o f t h e system i s e s t i m a t e d t o be t h e Same w i t h i n 0 . 2 5 l b .

The o r i g i n a l d e s i g n a n a l y s i s conducted t o derermine h e a t s h i e l d i n g e f f e c t i v e n e s s i n d i c a t e d t h a t w i t h 4 0 l a y e r s of t h e a b o v e h e a t s h i e l d i n g , a body t e m p e r a t u r e o f 2000'F c o u l d be r e a c h e d w i t h a 6 0 w a t t i n p u t , a s shown i n F i g u r e 3. Subsequent d e s i g n m o d i f i c a t i o n s r e q u i r e d f o r s u p p o r t of t h e c a p s u l e h e a t e r n e c e s s i t a t e d a c o r r e s p o n d i n g change i n t h e math model t o a c o o u n t f o r i n c r e a s e d r a d i a t i o n from a h i g h e r t e m p e r a t u r e i n t h e mounting f l a n g e a r e a . The m o d i f i e d d e s i g n model p r e d i c t e d p e r f o r m a n c e i s a l s o S h o w i n F i g u r e 3 . T h i s comp a r i s o n i n d i c a t e s a r e d u c t i o n i n o p e r a t i n g tempera t u r e t o a p p r o x i m a t e l y 1900'F u t 60 w a t t s i n p u t . The m o d i f i e d d e s i g n was u s e d as a b a s i s f o r t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n o f a c t u a l t h r u s t e r hardware.
Design C o n s i d e r a t i o n s S t u d i e s were performed p r i m t o i n i t i a t i o n of a c t u a l t h r u s t e r d e s i g n t o d e t e r m i n e t h e mast S u i t a b l e r a d i o i s o t o p e h e a t source i n t e r m s o f a c c e p t able.power d e n s i t y , h a n d l i n g and p r o x i m i t y h a z a r d s , h a l f l i f e , . a n d a v a i l a b i l i t y f o r t h i s program. RadioiSotOpeS h a v i n g h a l f lives less t h a n 2 y e a r s were d i s c o r d e d on t h e b a s i s of t h e p r o j e c t e d m i s s i o n a p p l i c a t i o n s f o r t h i s t y p e of t h r u s t e r . The b e t a sources were c o n s i d e r e d more d e s i r a b l e from t h e e n g i n e e r i n g s t a n d p o i n t b e c a u s e t h e y c i r cumvent t h e problem O f c o n t a i n m e n t or v e n t i n g o f e v o l v e d h e l i u m , a s i s n e c e s s a r y w i t h a l p h a sources s u c h as p l u t o n i u m 238. Promethium 147 o x i d e was found t o be t h e b e s t o v e r a l l compromise i n t e r m s of t h e a b o v e f a c t o r s and from t h e s t a n d p o i n t of a v a i l a b i l i t y for t h i s program. Some s e l e c t e d p r o p e r t i e s of t h i s r a d i o i s o t o p e (Pm203) a r e summarized below:* Half l i f e Power d e n s i t y Melting point Density P m 147 c o n t e n t Specific a c t i v i t y of P m 147 m e t a l 2.620 0 . 0 0 5 yr 2.09 w a t t d c c 2270C 7.3 g r a m d c c 86% by+weight 1.7 curiedgm 928.4

+ -

A c o n s i d e r a b l e s a v i n g s i n c o s t and t i m e e x p e n d i t u r e s was r e a l i z e d d u r i n g c h e m i c a l compati b i l i t y s c r e e n i n g t e s t s by u s i n g samarium o x i d e t o f i n d t h e most p r o m i s i n g c l a d d i n g m a t e r i a l f o r use i n t h e f i n a l capsule configuration. S i n c e samariu m o x i d e i s n o t r a d i o a c t i v e , a l l such h a n d l i n g h a z a r d s were a v o i d e d d u r i n g t h e s e t e s t s .

A similar s t a t e - o f - t h e - a r t r e s i s t a n c e j e t c u r r e n t l y weighs 1 . 7 l b but r e q u i r e s a n a d d i t i o n a l 5 l b of power s u p p l y w e i g h t (assuming 7 W a t t s / l b from a s o l a r p a n e l array and a 3 5 watt power requirement).
A s t h e d i s t a n c e from t h e sun i n c r e a s e s , t h e r e s i s t a n c e j e t S t a r t s paying a h i g h e r weight p e n a l t y due t o reduced solar p a n e l o u t p u t , w h i l e t h e r a d i o i s o j e t weight s t a y s c o n s t a n t .

The r a d i o i s o j e t design a p p r o a c h s e p a r a t e s t h e promethium h e a t source from t h e p r o p e l l a n t by

Promethium I s o t o p i c Power Data S h e e t s - BNWC-45i., >. B a t t e l l e Northwest

~

A p r e l i m i n a r y i n v e s t i g a t i o n of re-entry of a r a d i o i s o j e t h a s been made a l t h o u g h no s p e c i f i c d e s i g n f e a t u r e s t o p r o v i d e f o r i t have been i n c o r porated i n t o t h e present configuration. Both i n t a c t r e - e n t r y and h i g h a l t i t u d e d i s p e r s i o n can

'

be considered, t h e l a t t e r being p o t e n t i a l l y possib l e d u e t o t h e s m a l l amount of i s o t o p e b e i n g carr i e d i n a t h r u s t e r . I f i n t a c t re-entry appears t o b e t h e more a t t r a c t i v e a p p r o a c h , t h e e x i s t i n g d e s i g n would h a v e t o be m o d i f i e d t o p r o v i d e t h e necessary capsule protection. Experimental R e s u l t s
A benchmark p o w e r - t e m p e r a t u r e meaSuPernent
was made i n t h e G e n e r a l E l e c t r i c P r o p u l s i o n Lab-

Upon c o m p l e t i o n o f p r e l i m i n a r y t e s t s a t GE, t h e e l e c t r i c a l l y heated t h r u s t e r W a s t r a n s f e r r e d t o t h e t e s t f a c i l i t y a t Mound L a b o r a t o r i e s and s a t i s f a c t o r y o p e r a t i o n o f t h e f a c i l i t y was c o n f i r m ed by comparing p e r f o r m a n c e s o b t a i n e d i n i d e n t i c a l t h r u s t balances a t t h e two s e p a r a t e l o c a t i o n s . The e l e c t r i c a l l y h e a t e d t h r u s t e r was removed from t h e h e a t s h i e l d i n g package and t h e r a d i o i s o t o p e f u e l e d t h r u s t e r i n s t a l l e d w h i l e mounted i n the %ot" t e s t i n g was i n i t i a t e d s h o r t l y t h e r e balance. a f t e r w i t h a s e r i e s of t h r u s t measurements o b t a i n e d d u r i n g r c l a t i v e l y s h o r t (5 t o 10 s e c o n d s ) p u l s c s over a r a n g e Of chamber p r e s s u r e s from 5 p s i a t o 25 p s i a . A s w i t h t h e e l e c t r i c a l tests, s p e c i f i c i m p u l s e c a l c u l a t i o n s were made b a s e d on t h e prop e l l a n t Plow r a t e t h r o u g h a c a l i b r a t e d o r i f i c e . The r e s u l t i n g curve o f s p e c i f i c i m p u l s e v s chamber p r e s s u r e o f F i g u r e 6 t o o k a form t y p i c a l O f t h a t obtained with e l e c t r i c a l l y heated t h r u s t e r s . The maximum c a l c u l a t e d S p e c i f i c i m p u l s e of 232 s e c o n d s was d e r i v e d from t h r u s t d a t a o b t a i n e d near t h e d e s i g n chamber p r e s s u r e o f 1 . 5 a t m o s p h e r e s w i t h t h e s l o p e of t h e curve d i m i n i s h i n g t o zero a t t h a t p r e s s u r e , i n d i c a t i n g t h a t a maximum s p e c i f i c i m p u l s e level was r e a c h e d as p r e d i c t e d . S i n c e t h e promethium f u e l had been c o m p l e t e l y e n c a p s u l a t e d i n a r e f r a c t o r y l i n e r and t h e n welded i n t o a H a s t e l l o y X slug, c l o s e d a t b o t h e n d s , no d i r e c t core t e m p e r a t u r e measurement c o u l d b e made during the radioisotope fueled t h r u s t e r t e s t i n g . The c l o s e s t a v a i l a b l e l o c a t i o n for a t h e r m o c o u p l e a d j a c e n t to t h e hot c o ~ e was i n a h o l e bored i n t o t h e rear dome which p l a c e d i t s j u n c t i o n a p p r o x i m n t e l y 1/16 i n . from t h e o u t s i d e s u r f a c e o f t h e c a p s u l e c l a d d i n g . The t e m p e r a t u r e measured h e r e was 1450'F a t t h e o n s e t of t h e t e s t i n g . A c o r r e l . ? t i o n of o u t e r s u r f a c e t e m p e r a t u r e s f o r t h e e l e c t r i c a l and promethium f u e l e d U n i t s i n d i c a t e d a core ternperat u r e o f 1800'F f o r t h e i s o t o p e f u e l e d t h r u s t e r .
A l c n g t h y t e s t s e r i e s was c o n d u c t e d o p e r a t i n g t h e t h r u s t e r i n t h e p u l s e d mode, m o n i t o r i n g h e a t e r t e m p e r a t u r e u n t i l Steady s t a t e e q u i l i b r i u m condit i o n s were r e a c h e d . Duty c y c l e s from 0 . 5 % t o 100% were i n v e s t i g a t e d a t t h r e e t h r u s t e r chamber p r e s s u r e l e v e l s - - l , 1 . 5 , and 2 a t m o s p h e r e s . During t h e s e t e s t s , s t e a d y S t a t e was d e f i n e d 8 5 o c c u r r i n g a t t h e t i m e when no g r e a t e r t h a n a 5 d e g r e e p e r h o u r change i n t e m p e r a t u r e was measured f o r a t h r e e - h o u r p e r i o d . A t y p i c a l Curve O b t a i n e d d u r i n g t h e t e s t i n g a t 1 a t m o s p h e r e i s shown i n F i g u r e 7 where, w i t h a 3 0 second on, 100 second o f f c y c l e , s t e a d y s t a t e was n o t r e a c h e d u n t i l almost 350 m i n u t e s had e l a p s e d .

oratory with the e l e c t r i c a l heater i n s t a l l e d prior t o i n i t i a t i o n oi t h e "hot" f u e l e d t e s t i n g . The p r i m a r y t e m p e r a t u r e measurement was made a t t h e c e n t e r oi t h e h e a t e r e l e m e n t i n t h e h o t t e s t p o r t i o n Of t h c h e a t e r . A t t h e 60 w a t t power i n p u t level, t h e measured t e m p e r a t u r e i n t h e h e a t e r core was 1850'F. The s t e a d y s t a t e t e m p e r a t u r e s r e a c h e d over a r a n g e o f power i n p u t s P r o m 1 3 . 5 t o 6 5 w a t t s d u r i n g t h i s p r e l i m i n a r y t e s t i n g a r e shown i n C U I . Y ~ A of F i g u r e 4. Subsequently, t h e t h r u s t e r i n t h e Same c o n f i g u r a t i o n was i n s t a l l e d i n t h e t e s t f a c i l i t y a t MoUrtd L a b o r a t o r i e s and t h e t e m p e r a t u r e / p o w e r r e l a t i o n s h i p checked i n t h e same manner. T h e s e r e s u l t s a p p e a r as curve B o f F i g u r e 4 . The same r e l a t i o n s h i p was r e c h e c k e d f o l l o w i n g t h e r a d i o i s o j e t p e r f o r m a n c e tests w h i l e s t i l l i n s t a l l e d i n t h e Mound F a c i l i t y and curve C o f F i g u r e 4 g e n e r a t e d . The f i n a l check o f p o w e r / t e m p e r a t u r e (curve D) was made a t t h e General E l e c t r i c P r o p u l s i o n L a b o r a t o r y . The d i f f e r e n c e i n t e m p e r a t u r e measured a t t h e G e n e r a l E l e c t r i c and Mound f a c i l i t i e s a t B c o n s t a n t power i n p u t oi 60 w a t t s can b e e x p l a i n e d o n l y by a v a r i a t i o n i n t h e e f f e c t i v e n e s s of t h e h e a t s h i e l d i n g caused by s u r f a c e o x i d a t i o n , S i n c e n o p a r a m e t e r s were changed between t e s t s e x c e p t f o r ap7 i n c r e a s e i n t h e ambient p r e s s u r e l e v e l from torr t o r r i n t h e General E l e c t r i c f a c i l i t y t o 1 0 i n t h e Mound f a c i l i t y chamber.

-A0

C o n d u c t i v e h e a t t r a n s f e r bctwecn a d j a c e n t l a y e r s o f h e a t s h i e l d i n g might b e i n c r e a s e d b u t n o t S i g n i f i c a n t l y . S i n c e a change i n h e a t s h i e l d i n g e m i s s i v i t y from .3 t o . 4 c o u l d a c c o u n t f o r t h e d i f f e r e n c e between 1650F and 1850'F a t 60 w a t t s power level, i t i s c o n c e i v a b l e t h a t t h e i n c r e a s e d O x i d a t i o n r e s u l t i n g from t h e p o o r e r vacuum was t h e cause. T h i s i s f u r t h e r e v i d e n c e d by t h e s h i f t i n Curve D t o w a r d s t h e O r i g i n a l d a t a curve a f t e r b e i n g r e i n s t a l l e a i n t h e GE p r o p u l s i o n l a b f a c i l i t y where, u n d e r improved vacuum, s u r f a c e o x i d e s were v o l a t i l ized, thus reducing heat shield emissivity. T h r u s t measurements w e r e made w i t h t h e r a d i o -

i s o j e t mounted on a d i s p l a c e m e n t t y p e b a l a n c e supp o r t e d by t h r e e t h i n f l e x u r e s t r a p s . Two i d e n t i c a l b a l a n c e s were f a b r i c a t e d w i t h one i n s t a l l e d a t t h e GE f a c i l i t y and t h e O t h e r i n s t a l l e d a t t h e Mound f a c i l i t y . T h i s l a t t e r i n s t a l l a t i o n w i t h t h e r a d i o i s o j e t mounted i n p l a c e i s shown i n F i g u r e 5 . The s e n s i t i v i t y o f t h i s t h r u s t d e v i c e i s s u c h t h a t a f o r w o f one m i l l i p o u n d i s s u f f i c i e n t t o p r o d u c e a l a t e r a l d i s p l a c e m e n t of 0 . 7 5 m i l s - - l a r g e enough t o be r e a d i l y s e n s e d by a l i n e a r v a r i a b l e displacement t r a n s d u c e r . During t h e p m l i m i n a r y t e s t s , t h r u s t l e v e l s were measured between 5 and 40 m i l l i p o u n d s . A c a l i b r a t e d o r i f i c e , l o c a t e d j u s t u p s t r e a m or t h e t h r u s t e r i n l e t t u b e , w a s used t o d e t e r m i n e p r o p e l l a n t f l o w r a t e from which a n i n stantaneous s p e c i f i c i m p u l s e was c a l c u l a t e d from t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p : S p e c i f i c impulse = t h r u s t / p r o p e l l a n t w e i g h t f l o w rate.

I n all, 4 5 s t e a d y s t a t e measurements were made. A f t e r c o n v e r t i n g t h e P a t i o o f on/off time t o a d u t y c y c l e , t h e summary c u r v e o f F i g u r e 8 was p l o t t e d . I n t h i s p l o t , t h e e f f e c t o f minimum t e m p e r a t u r e r e a c h e d was found t o be i n d e p e n d e n t o f p u l s e d w a t i o n and d e p e n d e n t Only upon t h e r a t i o o f t i m e on/time o f f . I n o r d e r t o d e t e r m i n e maximum tempe r a t u r e decay a t each p r e s s u r e l e v e l , . t h e t h r u s t e r w a s a l l o w e d t o r e a c h a minimum t e m p e r a t u r e w i t h t h e valve f u l l y o p e n . The b a s e t e m p e r a t u r e r e a c h e d a t e a c h o f t h e t h r e e P r e s s u r e s i s p l o t t e d a t 100' d u t y cycle.

Since t h r u s t and p r o p e l l a n t flow r a t e were c o n t i n u o u s l y m o n i t o r e d duri"g t h e s e t e s t s , t h e b a s e t e m p e r a t u r e r e a c h e d c a u l d be c o n v e r t e d t o a s p e c i f i c impulse. Figure 9 i l l u s t r a t e s t h e data obtained at

a d r o p i n s p e c i f i c impulse from a maximum of over 230 s e c o n d s t o 1 5 0 s e c o n d s a t f u l l flow, c o r r e s p o n d i n g t o a d r o p i n core t e m p e r a t u r e t o 800'F (from F i g u r e 7 ) .

1 a t m o s p h e r e t o Show

extremely long o p e r a t i o n a l p e r i o d s t o f u l f i l l a l l of t h e s e mission requirements.

A t one p o i n t d u r i n g t h i s t e s t i n g , t h e vacuum chamber was f l o o d e d w i t h n i t r o g e n g a s i n an a t t e m p t t o s i m u l a t e t h e h e a t t r a n s f e r c o n d i t i o n s which c o u l d e x i s t between a d j a c e n t l a y e r s o f h e a t s h i e l d i n g i f t h e t h r u s t e r Were mounted on a S p a c e c r a f t a w a i t i n g l a u n c h a t a sea l e v e l l a u n c h p a d . The r e s u l t i n g e q u i l i b r i u m t e m p e r a t u r e o f 965F may b e s u f f i c i e n t l y l o w t o p e r m i t normal s y s t e m i n t e g r a t i o n w i t h t h e s p a c e c r a f t without t h e n e c e s s i t y f o r cooli n g or o x i d a t i o n p r o t e c t i o n .
Subsequent t o t h e above t e s t i n g , t h e r a d i o i s o j e t was removed from t h e Mound f a c i l i t y , t h e t h r u s t er o u t e r body S e p a r a t e d from t h e h e a t e r , and an e l e c t P i c a 1 h e a t e r i n s e r t e d . A d d i t i o n a l t e s t s were performed a t t h e GE f a c i l i t y t o d e t e r m i n e f u r t h e r c o r r e l a t i o n w i t h t h e t w o modes of h e a t i n g . T e s t s were performed a t room t e m p e r a t u r e , 1 9 5 0 D F , 180O"F, 1650'F, and 1550'F. The r e s u l t i n g s p e c i f i c i m p u l s e v a l u e s O b t a i n e d are p l o t t e d i n F i g u r e 1 0 . The measured v a l u e Of 232 s e c o n d s o b t a i n e d w i t h t h e promethium-fueled t h r u s t e r a t 25 p s i a c o r r e s p o n d s a l m o s t e x a c t l y w i t h t h e 1660-F e l e c t r i c a l l y h e a t e d t h r u s t e r d a t a o b t a i n e d a t t h e Same t h r u s t e r chamber p r e s s u r e . From t h i s C o r r e l a t i o n , i t can t h u s b e c o n c l u d e d t h a t t h e h e a t e r core t e m p e r a t u r e d u r i n g t h e promethium-fueled t h r u s t e r t e s t s was a p p r o x i m a t e l y 1650'F. The t h r u s t e r h a s s i n c e been r e a s s e m b l e d w i t h t h e r a d i o i s o t o p e h e a t e r and c u r r e n t l y i s mounted i n a vacuum f a c i l i t y a t B a t t e l l e N m t h w e s t Laboratories. Long-term t e s t s are b e i n g conducted t o c o n f i r m c a p s u l e / c l a d d i n g c o m p a t i b i l i t y and i n f l u e n c e o f ammonia p r o p e l l a n t on t h r u s t e r m a t e r i a l s . Mission A p p l i c a t i o n s T h e r e are a number o f p o t e n t i a l a p p l i c a t i o n s f o r a r a d i o i s o j e t p r o p u l s i o n System. T h e s e r a n g e from l o n g - t e r m e a r t h o r b i t a l m i s s i o n s d e v o t e d t o communications, m e t e o r o l o g y , and e a r t h resources u p t h r o u g h d e e p s p a c e p r o b e s or o t h e r p l a n e t a r y o r b i ters. From a m i s s i o n s t a n d p o i n t , t h e r a d i o i s o j e t h a s t h e a d v a n t a g e t h a t it r e q u i r e s no e l e c t r i c a l power from t h e s p a c e c r a f t f o r h e a t i n g Of p r o p e l l a n t and i s t h e P e f o r e f u n c t i o n a l l y i n d e p e n d e n t from o t h e r s p a c e c r a f t s y s t e m s . A second m a j o r f a c t o r i s t h e i n h e r e n t l y high r e l i a b i l i t y of such a d e v i c e f o r long-term O p e r a t i o n b e o a u s e of , t h e p r e d i c t a b l e n a t u r e Of t h e r a d i o i s o t o p e d e c a y mechanism and t h e e l i m i n a t i o n o f e l e c t r i c a l h e a t e r s and a s s o c i a t e d power c o n d i t i o n i n g . An a t t r a c t i v e a p p l i c a t i o n would b e t h e use o f s u c h a system i n t h e form o f m u l t i j e t modules ( e a c h c o n s i s t i n g o f f o u r j e t s h a v i n g a Common h e a t e r ) for o r b i t a d j u s t m e n t and a t t i t u d e s t a b i l i z a t i o n of advanced 24-hour s y n c h r o n o u s s p a c e c r a f t . Such a system can b e d e s i g n e d t o p e r m i t s i z i n g o f a t t i t u d e j e t s t o one p s r t i c u l a r t h r u s t l e v e l w h i l e S i z i n g o r b i t a d j u s t m e n t j e t s t o one p a r t i c u l a r t h r u s t l e v e l r e q u i r e d for t h e a c q u i s i t i o n p h a s e . U s i n g p u l s e mode o p e r a t i o n , t h e o r b i t a d j u s t m e n t j e t s can also s a t i s f y t h e s t a t i o n k e e p i n g r e q u i r e m e n t . O t h e r low t h r u s t d e v i c e s , s u c h as t h e i o n e n g i n e , r e q u i r e e i t h e r e x c e s s i v e amounts o f power or

I t i s p o s s i b l e t o e x t r a p o l a t e t h e d e s i g n Of t h e s i n g l e j e t r a d i o i s o t o p e t h r u s t e r t o an advanced m u l t i j e t v e r s i o n by means o f d a t a a l r e a d y compiled on e l e c t r i c a l l y h e a t e d m u l t i j e t t h r u s t e r s . On t h i s basis, it i s estimated t h a t t h e m u l t i j e t version Would weigh a p p r o x i m a t e l y 5.75 pounds, e x c l u s i v e o f any r a d i a t i o n S h i e l d r e q u i r e d by aerospace s a f e t y , f o r a given m i s s i o n . Performance c a l c u l a t i o n s were made f o r a 1,500-pound s y n c h r o n o u s s p a c e c r a f t which h a s a m i s s i o n l i f e Of t h r e e y e a r s . The p r o p u l s i o n S y s t e m would b e r e q u i r e d t o p r o v i d e east-west and n o r t h - s o u t h S t a t i o n k e e p i n g as w e l l as a t t i t u d e s t a b i l i z a t i o n on t h r e e axes. During i n i t i a l a c q u i s i t i o n , t h e P r o p u l s i o n s y s t e m Would h a v e t o Yemove i n j e c t i o n errors and maneuver t h e s p a c e c r a f t t o t h e p ~ o p e rl o n g i t u d e . The r a d i o i s o j e t s y s t e m r e q u i r e d f o r t h i s a p p l i c a t i o n was S i z e d u s i n g p e r f o r m a n c e d a t a measured i n t h i s t e s t program. F o r a t o t a l i m p u l s e r e q u i r e m e n t o f 12,500 poundseconds, t h e ammonia p r o p e l l a n t i n v e n t o r y was found t o b e 57 pounds a t an a v e r a g e m i s s i o n s p e c i f i c i m p u l s e o f 220 s e c o n d s .
T o t a l S y s t e m w e i g h t , i n c l u d i n g four modules (exclusive of re-entry shielding), propellant, S t o r a g e t a n k , and f e e d s y s t e m components, w a s e s t i mated t o b e 1 0 0 pounds. A resistance jet system d e s i g n e d t o p e r f o r m t h i s m i s s i o n would weigh a p p r o x i m a t e l y t h e same, s i n c e a t h r u s t e r w e i g h t s a v i n g s Would b e b a l a n c e d by t h e w e i g h t o f t h e req u i r e d power s u p p l y . An a d d i t i o n a l w e i g h t s a v i n g s is a v a i l a b l e with t h e r a d i o i s o j e t , s i n c e no propell a n t c o n t i n g e n c y is r e q u i r e d t o compensate for S p e c i f i c i m p u l s e r e d u c t i o n r e s u l t i n g from p o t e n t i a l h e a t e r f a i l u r e . F o r s u c h a p p l i c a t i o n s as d e e p s p a c e p r o b e s , t h e r e d u c e d s o l a r p a n e l o u t p u t or t h e h i g h b a t t e r y weight r e q u i r e m e n t s f u r t h e r p e n a l i z e t h e electrothermal system i n favor of t h e r a d i o i s o j e t .

I n any case, t h e r a d i o i s o j e t , d u e t o i t s i n h e r e n t d e s i g n s i m p l i c i t y , o f f e r s a major improvement i n o v e r a l l s p a c e c r a f t secondary propulsion r e l i a bility

A d a p t a t i o n Of t h e r a d i o i s o j e t t h r u s t e r t o s p e c i f i c mission r e q u i r e m e n t s i n terms o f spacec r a f t i n t e g r a t i o n and a e r o s p a c e s a f e t y c o n s t i t u t e s t h e n e x t major Step toward f l i g h t a p p l i c a t i o n .

FIGURE 1.

EXILOUEU VIEW OF RADIOISOJET.

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CORE IEHPEIMTWE. 1.

FIGURE 4.

ELECTRICAL POWER VERSUS CORE TEMPERATURE.

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EXPI-ODED VIEW OF RESISTANCE J E T .

FIGURE 5.

MILLIPOUNU TIIRUST R I G .

FIGURE 6.

R A D I O I S O J E T THRUSTER S P E C I F I C IMPULSE VERSUS CHAMBER PRESSURE.

FIGURE 9.

R A D I O I S O J E T THRUSTER S P E C I F I C IMPULSE VERSUS DUTY CYCLE.

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FIGURE 10.

ELECTRICALLY HEATED THRUSTER - S P E C I F I C IMPULSE VERSUS CHAMBER PRESSURE.

FIGURE 7.

R A D I O I S O J E T TEMPERATURE DECAY CURVE.

FIGURE 8. STEADY STATE TEMPERATURE VERSUS DUTY CYCLE.

6